(Travis’s Note: This article was originally published on January 29th, 2017, and it documented a journey from out-of-favor to in-favor, that I anticipate will repeat over additional cycles.)
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”
Carl Sandburg
“Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria”
Sir John Templeton
“Life and investing are long ballgames.”
Julian Robertson
One year ago, on January 29 th, 2016, I looked at my TipRanks.com profile, and I was the 4,380th ranked blogger out of 4,802 bloggers. Additionally, I was the 7,829th ranked “expert” out of 8,501 ranked “experts”.
Needless to say, my public profile as a research analyst, nearly 20 years into my career, was less than acclaimed. Additionally, I had my fair share of detractors on Seeking Alpha, and outside Seeking Alpha, who did their best to remind me of just how incompetent I was in my research analysis.
Fast forward a year later, and the narrative has changed. Today, January 29th, 2017, I am the 17th ranked blogger out of 5,794 bloggers, and I am the 46th ranked “expert” out of 10,172 overall “experts”.
While I made some big mistakes, and learned some invaluable lessons along the way that I will never forget (I have the scars to prove this) in this constantly learning business, persistence, stubbornness, and hard work ultimately paid some dividends.
The lesson for all investors is that you have to be careful judging an analyst, or even yourself, good or bad, because the view could change as the perceptions and realities of the market change. Additionally, another lesson is that it is difficult to take a variant view, as the markets have a way of punishing the alternative view for a long period of time.
In “The Contrarian“, the premium research service I founded on Seeking Alpha on December 7th, 2015, we actively challenge the status quo in search of out-of-favor investments that have inherent potential opportunity. Additionally, we challenge each other to become better investors, speculators, and traders.
While I could go on and on about the merits of the service (admittedly I have a biased view), and how much I enjoy writing and participating in it, member reviews provide another perspective, and I wanted to share this information once again, as there are now 21 reviews, all “Five Stars” at the current juncture.
Without further ado, here is a link to all the reviews of The Contrarian. Please check them out for yourself. Thank you to all members of “The Contrarian” for creating a unique community that I am privileged to participate in every day. Also, thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you are interested in joining our community, which I think is timely today, follow the prompts, and reach out with any questions,
Travis
Additional disclosure: Every investor’s situation is different. Positions can change at any time without warning. Please do your own due diligence and consult with your financial advisor, if you have one, before making any investment decisions. The author is not acting in an investment adviser capacity. The author’s opinions expressed herein address only select aspects of potential investment in securities of the companies mentioned and cannot be a substitute for comprehensive investment analysis. The author recommends that potential and existing investors conduct thorough investment research of their own, including detailed review of the companies’ SEC filings. Any opinions or estimates constitute the author’s best judgment as of the date of publication, and are subject to change without notice.